Game Changer

𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐨 𝐅𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫

Brooke sits there looking at Darcio as if he's an alien. He plays it cool, but on the inside, he is screaming. Witch! Witch! Witch! Witch?

"How long have you been a witch?" Darcio looks over. Wonder and fear alternate in his eyes, fighting for control.

"I have always been. I just found out last year. I'm not in full control yet," Brooke looks up at Darcio, and Dacio looks back. "Any more questions?"

"We can talk about your witchy woo later. What do we do about being stuck here? Have you ever heard of something like this?" I can't show her weakness; I'm the man.

"Maybe, can we swing over to my place? I need to get my family grimoires."

"Grimoires?"

"Grimoires are like really old textbooks about magic."

"Right. Of course, you have some kind of special book," Darcio says sarcastically. "Well, if they have something about what the hell is going on here, then what are we waiting for? Let's take my Jeep." Darcio leads the way through the large room into a dining room, through a living room, a kitchen, another living room, and finally onto the front porch or a not-so-mini-mansion. All Darcio can think about is his family. Mum and Dad are already fighting. How are they going to deal with my disappearance? And Lily, how will she cope with all the yelling and shouting? And I have to be stuck here with a stupid girl and Brooke of all girls.

"What is this place?" Brooke looks back at the house as they walk across the long lawn and into Darcio's jeep.

"Well, after you laser beamed my house down and then passed out, I didn't know what to do, so I picked you up, put you in the back seat, and just started to drive. I ended up here and thought, 'If we are going to be in a world with no one in it, we may as well take advantage. Live in style, you know." Brooke looks at him approvingly, with a hint of concern about how he reacted to all this.

"The note said that someone blames us. What do you think that person means?" Brooke questions.

"I don't know. I wonder who they are," Darcio replies.

When they pull up to Brooke's estate, she runs in, leaving Darcio behind in the car. Okay then, I guess I'll just wait here. Fifteen minutes pass where Darcio turns up the radio rolls down the window, and sips a slightly warm beer from inside the glove compartment until Brooke finally runs back to the car, arms full of dusty old-looking books.

"Here they are," Brooke slides, dropping the grimoires onto her lap. Darcio puts his beer in the cup holder and picks one up. Brooke looks cautiously down at the beer and then back up to Darcio, watching him read peacefully. Darcio watches Brooke from the corner of his eye. He picks up the beer, takes one last sip, and then chucks it out the window. No one else is here who cares. Brooke looks alarmed for a second, then sits back in her chair, picks up a book, and reads, a small smile on her face. Darcio rolls his eyes at her, already half regretting his decision.

Brooke reads through the grimoire while Darcio drives back to the house. As they pull into the driveway, Brooke puts down the last grimoire.

"Done already?" Darcio looks at Brooke as she takes out a notebook and pen and starts to scribble down notes on everything she has read.

Without looking up, Brooke responds with, "What can I say? I'm a speedy reader."

"Did you find anything?"

"Not in our exact situation, but I'll show you everything I read when we get inside." They each grab as many books as they can carry and walk up to the house. As they walk through the front door, they immediately stop. On the wall, written in black paint, is another note.

FOLLOW THE NOTE.

FOLLOW THE NOTE.

FOLLOW THE NOTE.

UNDER THE HILL,

FIND THE TREASURE.

ESCAPE, AND YOU WILL FREE HIM

FROM HIS SLUMBER.

Darcio turns to look at Brooke, worried that this might trigger something. Free who? His slumber? Darcio awkwardly lowers his hand onto Brooke's shoulder, hoping to comfort her. Brooke looks up at him, and Darcio sees a wild, dark look in her eyes.

"Brooke?" Brooke squeezes her face tight, and Darcio readies himself for what's about to happen. Crap. Brooke starts to shake, and she squeezes her face as tight as she can.

The glass of the windows shatter. Darcio ducks and shields himself from the tiny raindrops of glass. Darcio watches Brooke try to control herself, failing immensely.

"Breathe," Darcio's shaking voice echoes through the massive house as he cautiously steps back and away from Brooke.

"Shut ... up, I'm trying to stay as calm as I can, and your infuriating voice ... is not helping."

Darcio shuts up, turning around and running out the front door. He runs to the far end of the front yard and watches the mini-mansion crumble except for a small bubble or white stone where Brooke is holding the house up with a shield spell. I guess we'll have to move again. Darcio starts to walk back slowly. Brooke is lying in a heap on the ground, buried in a thin layer of dust. She rolls over, groaning, and grimaces up at Darcio as he shoves bits of stone. The sun is starting to set as the end of the day begins.

"Well, I guess we gotta figure out what all this means so we can get back as soon as possible." Darcio groans as he helps Brooke up, swinging her arm over his neck and wrapping an arm around her waist, awkwardly walking her back to his car. "Wait here. I'll get the book. Then we can go house hunting."

"Too bad I missed the supermoon last night. Oliver and I were gonna go watch it." Oliver.

Darcio's eyes go wide as he connects the dots. Oliver in a coma. Us trapped in a magical world. 'Free him from his slumber' written on the wall.

"Darcio?"

Darcio looks back at Brooke.

"It's Oliver." Brooke looks quizzically at Darcio until her face morphs into realisation. "It's Oliver," she repeats.